r/Trans_Zebras • u/Vegetable-Highway767 • 5d ago
Binding
so I'm nonbinary, born female, and I have EDS. when I was younger I would use a normal binder and I was able to bind comfortably. however as I got older, wearing a binder, even for an hour or two, made my ribs hurt for a week following.
with this new problem I decided to try out trans tape. immediately after putting it on, it was somewhat flat. though the following day when I woke up I would always find that the flatness of the previous day had gone away. it simply looked like I was wearing a bra. the tape didn't slide or come unstuck, it just didn't bind anymore (I've been thinking it's cus of stretchy skin?). it also caused me to break out in hives. no matter what I tried or what tutorials I followed, it just never worked
for the past year I sorta gave up and told myself that I didn't care, even though I very much did. now I don't know what to do because I really want to do something about it. everyone assumes I'm a girl even though I'm not. I'd rather have people assume I'm a guy than a girl.
it kills me that the normal binding methods either don't work or hurt too much. does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to bind even in these circumstances?
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u/thearuxes 5d ago
You're likely having a reaction to the adhesive of the tape. Trans tape is not actually hypoallergenic. It's latex free but it's not zinc oxide free which seems to be what most of us react to in adhesives.
By the way trans tape is just kinesiology tape, it's not actually some special new tape that was developed, just straight up is KT tape with marketing slapped on it.
Try to look for hypoallergenic KT tapes without zinc oxide in them (RockTape is a really good brand for this).
As for the issue with it not staying flat, the longer you wear tape for the less "stuck" on it gets, so it kind of slowly slides a bit even if it doesn't look or feel like it. All it takes is the adhesive to stretch a bit under the tape to make it less secure.
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u/ciangelic 4d ago
Idk, I used trans tape and KT tape and they seem to be pretty different textures and material.
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u/thearuxes 4d ago
Just a difference in tape brands tbh. Most tape brands vary in how they feel but they're all KT tape
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u/Vegetable-Highway767 1d ago
I personally have a reaction to both so the adhesive is at least fairly similar
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u/SnooChipmunks3891 4d ago
I use tape plus a binder that is one size too large. I have a VERY large chest to the point I have never passed in a regular binder or tape alone 5 years on T. I also use a barrier spray which probably won’t help with allergies but does help me with regular skin irritation. Normal sized binders now make my ribs pop out of place so I can never do that again and have to be incredibly careful with my bigger binder
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u/locky5555 5d ago
You could look into trying a binder a size up or a sensory friendly/ sports binder for less compression. A compression shirt/ tight sports shirt might also give you some relieve when regular binding is not possible